A Republican running for Congress suggested that transgender people are mentally ill at a political gathering Monday night in Greenville.

“You're either a man or a woman — and if you’re confused, you’ve got an issue with mental illness," former state Sen. Lee Bright said.

Bright, who lives in Spartanburg County, made the remark during a forum at the Poinsett Club in Greenville that featured a dozen candidates seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy. The forum was hosted by the Greenville County Republican Women's Club.

William Timmons(Photo: Submitted)

The Greenville News and Greenville Chamber of Commerce will host a forum on May 30 for the candidates in the state's 4th Congressional District race. The event will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hughes Main Library in downtown Greenville.

At Monday's event, the GOP candidates running for Gowdy's seat responded to questions about religion and faith after discussing an array of domestic and international issues.

“If we don’t get right, God is going to judge us, and let me tell you it is going to be painful," said Bright, who sponsored a bill while serving in the state Senate that would have prohibited transgender people from using public bathrooms that do not match their birth gender. The measure failed to win approval.

Josh Kimbrell(Photo: LAUREN PETRACCA\STAFF)

State Sen. William Timmons of Greenville said "our country needs to get back to biblical principles."

“We have gone so far from the Bible," he said. "We don’t even teach it in schools — we ban prayer in schools. But bizarrely, we give prisoners Bibles.”

Former Spartanburg County Republican Party Chairman Josh Kimbrell said he believes "our rights are from God, not from government, not from Washington, frankly not even from the Constitution.

"If we lose that belief that the rights come from a higher power than Washington, then we are no longer a free society," Kimbrell said.

Rep. Dan Hamilton of Greenville said his faith is a key reason that he decided to run for the seat that Gowdy is giving up.

"I want to serve my neighbors and preserve our country," he said.

James Epley(Photo: Contributed photo)

The results of a straw poll released after the event showed James Epley finishing first with 46 votes, followed by Kimbrell with 30 and Stephen H. Brown with 22. Bright had 21 votes, Hamilton received 19 and Timmons had 13.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM and email him at kirk.brown@independentmail.com